The Cenozoic evolution of the relief of the Barents and Kara sea shelves

Abstract

General features of the Cenozoic evolution of the Barents and Kara seas floor relief are considered. The maps have been compiled showing the present position of the Late Miocene (pre-Pliocene) and Late Pleistocene (pre-Holocene) relief on the Barents and Kara shelves. The leading part of the neotectonics in the formation of the relief and correlate sediments is argued. The principal stages of relief formation and sedimentation through the Cenozoic are shown to correspond to certain phases of the tectonic evolution of Arctic geodepression.